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The Department of Consumer Affairs cited American Airlines for using 10 faulty scales that cost travelers more money for their baggage. In total, 103 of 810 scales at all airlines in JFK and LaGuardia weren’t calibrated properly. It’s hoped that all scales at the city’s airports are set for “bag justice” now.IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo site development delays prevented its publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
JFK Airport will soon have its first new terminal since 9/11. It’s a massive $743 million ($663 million from the Port Authority) renovation of Terminal 5 by JetBlue. It's scheduled to open this October. Inside, flyers and their guests will find nine sky-high-class restaurants. Other amenities and services will include food orders delivered right to the gate, automated baggage screening, high-tech bathrooms and twenty fast security lines. Kennedy Airport's Terminal 5 is connected to TWA’s unique and beautifully styled Eero Saarinen-designed building. It's been vacant since 2001, in part because TWA’s former building simply can’t accommodate modern jets. It may eventually be turned into a museum by the Port Authority. As nice as JetBlue’s facility will be, I wonder if travelers will want to depart for their destinations!
A couple of weeks ago, the largest passenger airliner in the world touched down at Kennedy Airport. New York City was the jet’s first American stop. It certainly won’t be the last time for this plane or the others likely to follow. The much-hyped plane is a brand new double-decker, Airbus A380 owned by Emirates. It carries a $327 million price tag along with 489 passengers plus crew! The Port Authority spent $179 million to reinforce runways and taxiway bridges to accommodate aircraft of this type. It was proven a wise investment once the future of commercial aviation landed in Queens. 105 years after the Wright brothers’ success at Kitty Hawk where only one flew in a glider, five hundred can now take to the sky in a jet. Automakers the world over should be embarrassed by the tremendous advances in transportation made by the aviation industry. Hey, Detroit! Build us that long talked about 100 mpg car and drivers might be impressed by your technology leap too.
Recent near-misses at JFK airport have prompted the FAA to examine the airport’s existing operating procedures. Preliminary reports suggest the two recent close calls were caused by communication problems. In a separate announcement, the FAA plans to install new lighting systems in several airports including JFK and LaGuardia. Check the radios too, guys!
It’s been over a month now since an X-Rated, X-Ray scanner has been operating at JFK Airport. This high-tech machine is capable of revealing very intimate body-part details underneath a passenger’s clothing in advance of boarding a plane. We’re all that much safer by finding out if a terrorist is looking to smuggle a weapon onto a plane. "It’s working extremely well so far," according to officials at the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA). I wonder if those looking to join the “Mile High Club” have been able to benefit from this device as well. NOTE: If preparing to fly in the near future, wear clean underwear. And a smile.
For many decades, the descendants of abandoned, escaped and lost cats have roamed the terminals, grounds and runways at JFK. This has caused unsafe and unsanitary conditions throughout the airport. Kindly airport workers who leave food for these feral cats may unwittingly be attracting birds too. Birds fly into jet engines which may cause expensive repairs and dangerous flying conditions. Recently, “cat roundups” have taken place with the participation of federal wildlife officials. Sadly, most of these cats may be euthanized (because they're unadoptable) but their removal makes conditions safer for both passengers and air crews.
Seems logical enough, right? Not for some of the most vocal cat lovers it isn’t! Valerie Sicignano of the NYC Feral Cat Initiative volunteered her group to trap, neuter and vaccinate the cats for free. She said that cats that could be put up for adoption would be, but that the rest would be returned to the airport! The Port Authority rejected her group’s offer. I agree with the P.A.’s decision. It's common sense (which is far from "common" nowadays, it seems). Ms. Sicignano’s proposal was only a partial solution to a serious problem when only a complete solution will ensure safety. Animal activists do good deeds and deserve support ... to an extent. That extent being that they must come up with comprehensive ideas that rationally balance the people's rights with the animals they’re trying to protect.
